Choosing the Right Water Tank for Your Available Space

When searching for the right water tank, an important consideration is the available property space you wish to dedicate to storing water. Clark Tanks offers a range of rainwater tanks to help satisfy property owners no matter your space requirements. This article will look at some options to consider when buying a tank to meet specific space requirements.

Location of Your Tank

Your first step before looking for a rainwater tank solution, should be to identify appropriate locations. While connecting a downpipe to a storage tank located directly beneath it might be easier, this can also potentially limit your options. It is possible to situate a water tank anywhere on your property, although ideally it is good to have it higher which requires less pump power. If you wish to avoid ugly above ground pipes (a “dry system”), an alternative is to run pipes underground to deliver harvested rainwater into your tank (a “wet system”).

So then, perhaps a very large round tank might not go well beside your house, but then, across from a path, or maybe further up the back of your house with surrounding gardens would be better. Then again, maybe all you need is a lower capacity slimline or two which could comfortably fit beside your house. There could be multiple workable solutions, so let’s explore different types of tanks and their sizes.

Round Tanks

The traditional looking round water tank, of which Clark Tanks manufactures a unique ribbed design that has greater appeal while at the same time strengthening the tank, is often the only tank to get when looking at individual water storage greater than 5,000 litres.

With more popular sizes, such as 5,000L (1,100 gallon), 10,000L (2,200 gallon) and 22,700L (5,000 gallon) round tanks, you can purchase either a taller tank with thinner diameter, or a lower “squat” tank that is wider. Consider the following sizes:

5,000L Squat is 1.8 metres high and 2.1 metres wide, compared to the taller 5,000L which is 2.2 metres high and 1.9 metres wide.

9,500L Squat is 1.7 metres high and 3 metres wide, compared to the taller 10,000L which is 2.1 metres high and 2.6 metres wide.

5000 Gallon (22,700L) Squat is 2.7 metres high and 3.7 metres wide, compared to the taller 5000 gallon DNR model which is 2.9 metres high and 3.5 metres wide.

These sizes allow you to trade some height for width or vice-versa. Keep in mind, if height is still an issue, then you can partially bury your tank. Each poly tank is different and you should always comply with manufacturer recommendations. For Clark Tanks, we recommend no more than one-fifth of wall height, and it must be always filled with water to above ground level. For more information, please refer to Installing and Partially Burying Your Poly Tank.

As an alternative solution, it could be that two or more smaller tanks would better fit better in a narrower space than one very large tank. For example, you might have a side strip on your property, but a 3.5 metre tank width is too much. Installing two 10,000 litre tanks would shave off approximately 1 metre and present a better option. Added benefits to a multiple tank setup is that you have redundant storage as backup should one tank fail and better water quality.

Slimline Tanks

Slimline poly tanks are found in capacities of 5,000 litres or less. Our slimline tanks range in width from 680mm to 1,050mm.

As the name suggests, they have a narrower width and are wider length. They are the perfect solution for placing beside your house, along a fence line or in thinner spaces. Should higher water storage capacities be required, then two or more can be linked together provided you have the space.

Underground Tanks

Underground poly tanks are specially built to be entirely buried, either in yard space, under a pathway, driveway or carport. While slightly more expensive, they remain invisible and consume absolutely no surface space.

Unlike concrete tanks, which are very expensive and difficult to install, our purpose-built poly underground tanks are relatively easy to install. Their shallow height, means two people with shovels can dig the required hole on a weekend ready for tank placement. You will only need to dig out between 1 to 1.3 metres depending upon your tank size.

Mix and Match Tanks

You might find that a combination of tanks works best for your property. For example, perhaps a slimline and underground tank, or a larger round for rainwater and underground for any overflow and stormwater.

Clark Tanks poly tanks are available in a range of sizes and shapes to help meet your space requirements. Rather than go through each tank one-by-one, you can find complete tables from our Water Tank Specifications page.